Sunday, December 24, 2006

Secrets to Selling More Jewelry at a Craft Show

Hi everyone! Today I want to talk about how to sell more handmade jewelry at craft shows. Heavens knows we pay good money to enter these shows so it's important to maximize sales as much as possible. Here are some marketing tips and techniques that can help to increase your handmade jewelry sales:

1. Always wear a piece of your own handcrafted jewelry when in your craft booth. Preferably you should be wearing it with a black, white, or neutral shade of top. This will help to showcase your piece better without detracting from its beauty.

2. Greet customers with a smile and pleasant "hello", but avoid being too pushy or overbearing as customers don't like to feel pressured which they often do at craft shows since the spaces are so small.

3. Have a bowl of candy at the entrance to your booth.This is a nice touch that is appreciated by prospective customers and gives them a positive impression of your approach to doing business. Plus, it's a marketing tool that won't cost you an arm and a leg.

4. Always have a book beside your candy dish for customers to write down their contact information including their mailing address and email address. Politely, ask them if they'd like to be on your mailing list.

5. Consider running a contest for a free piece of jewelry. To enter the contest, your prospective customer simply leaves her email address. This is avery effective way to build up your email list for future marketing campaigns.

6. If at all possible, accept credit cards at your booth. This has been shown to increase sales by up to 30%. Plus, you won't have to worry about bad checks.

7. Consider doing a demonstration of your craft. This will attract attention and admiration from your audience which can be an impetus for sales.

8. Ask for your customer's opinion. For example,"What's your favorite semiprecious stone?". Customers love to feel that their opinion is important. Plus, you can also learn alot about what customers are looking for using this technique.

9. Consider using a showstopper piece to attract attention to your booth. This was covered in the blog posting yesterday. Here's a link: